


While Everyone's Lost

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Play Along [23]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Gen, band au, musician au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-27 14:43:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7622653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Any, Any, <i> And I won’t say I told you so / And I won’t tell you you were wrong / But you’re gonna miss this when it’s gone</i>."</p><p>The fate of the Space Monkeys hangs by a delicate thread, and people tug at it, curious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	While Everyone's Lost

Richard listened to Elizabeth’s report, her words washing over him. He was more interested in the way Evan stood behind her and a little to her left, hands clasped behind his back, head bowed. For all he’d been up against, he’d done an admirable job keeping the band together, but there had come a point when he should have stopped caring about keeping the band together and focused on keeping its members together instead. Now Jennifer Keller - beautiful, brilliant - was in pieces in the hospital, and the rest of the band was scattered around her, like so much debris.  
  
“John’s prognosis is good,” Elizabeth said finally. “But the tour is getting ready to move on. I haven’t heard from Xiaoyi what the Snakeskinners have decided.”  
  
Richard steepled his hands on the desk.  
  
Evan cleared his throat. “If I may, sir.”  
  
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows.  
  
“I spoke to Walter, the Snakeskinners’ PA. He said Cameron Mitchell would be open to a more - stripped-down opening. Acoustic numbers. Covers. Only one or two musicians. No need for a full band. Still with a cover done with a Snakeskinner member. Like in the old days, during their intermissions,” Evan said.  
  
Richard wondered how much Xiaoyi liked that idea. But he nodded to Elizabeth, and she stepped out of the office, phone in hand, leaving Evan to hunch his shoulders beneath Richard’s scrutiny.  
  
“I won’t tell you that you were wrong,” Richard said. “You already know that. I will tell you, however, that up to a point you did excellent work, and you can do better.”  
  
Evan lifted his head, blue eyes hopeful.  
  
“Will you do better?”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
“Good. Then get out there and do better.”  
  
Evan bobbed his head and scurried out of the office.

Richard sat back and thought of those boys and girls he’d seen on that stage and wondered where it had all gone wrong, and he wondered if it hadn’t gone wrong with John after all.

 

*

“I hate to say ‘I told you so’,” Vala said.  
  
Cam looked up from his guitar. “What?”  
  
Vala plopped down on the couch beside him, half on his lap. “About John Sheppard and the whole Space Monkeys thing.”  
  
“You never told me anything about them.” Cam continued picking out an easy melody.  
  
“Oh, well, I definitely intended to.” Vala hummed along with a brief harmony. “Don’t get me wrong - John’s a lovely young man, very talented - not quite as talented as myself, obviously - and his band was good. But that thing between you and him was never going to work out. He’s so in love with Rodney.”  
  
“I know that.”  
  
Vala blinked. “Oh. Then why did you -?”  
  
“I like him, he likes me, and we feel good together, have fun together. Not every dating relationship has to be destined for true love,” Cam said. “Sometimes it’s just about companionship and comfort.”  
  
“Well, I don’t know how much companionship you’ll be getting these days, what with -” Vala waved her hand to indicate, Jennifer’s brush with death over her eating disorder, John’s potentially terminal illness, and the frosty silence that was pervading the Space Monkeys tour bus.

“Thanks for your concern,” Cam said, “but it's not me you should be worried about.”

 

*

Dave and Betty sat in the break room, copies of Rolling Stone, Entertainment, Tiger Beat, and Teen Beat spread out between them.  
  
_Space Monkeys shattered by Jennifer Keller’s eating disorder_ read one headline.  
  
_Jennifer Keller cracks under pressure of fame_ read another.  
  
_Entertainment industry’s ridiculous expectations of women’s bodies_ read yet another.  
  
_John Sheppard and Cameron Mitchell: Musical BFFs._ Someone always had to be the odd one out.  
  
Dave knew Patrick Sheppard’s money had gone into keeping any stories of John bring gay out of the press. Dave knew Patrick Sheppard’s wrath had rained down on the apparently dozen minions he’d had tracking John’s progress while he was on tour, because they’d all failed to pick up on this very important fact till a reporter had threatened to blackmail Patrick over it. Dave knew that Patrick Sheppard had been completely unaware that Dave and Betty had been working together to protect John and his stupid, beautiful dream.  
  
“He’ll be home soon,” Betty said. She patted Dave’s hand. “You’ll see.”  
  
“I hope.” Dave thought of how pale Mom had looked near the end. John wasn’t that bad off yet, but he had an army of PR minions and makeup artists to make him look good whenever he was on camera.  
  
Betty laughed. “You’re going to miss this when it’s gone, aren’t you?”  
  
“Miss what?”  
  
Betty held up the copy of Teen Beat and waggled her eyebrows. “Don’t you want to know what Cameron Mitchell’s horoscope is and whether you two are destined in the stars?”  
  
Dave couldn’t help it - he burst out laughing. He would miss this, the camaraderie with Betty, the hard work and determination to make sure John’s needs were met. But he wouldn’t miss the stress and the secrecy of constantly lying to his father, and he wouldn’t be missing John for much longer, because John would be coming home soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from All These Things That I've Done by The Killers


End file.
